Held Next Week, 14th Bali Democracy Forum Focuses On Poverty, Equality And Inclusiveness Issues

Teuku Faizasyah. (Doc. Between)

JAKARTA - Sharing experiences in the implementation of governance, to ensure social justice and economic justice for the community in the midst of the recovery process from the COVID-19 pandemic, is one of the objectives of implementing the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) this year, said the Director General of Information and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry. Indonesian Foreign Affairs Teuku Faizasyah.

Held in Nusa Dua, Bali on December 9, the BDF, which is being held for the fourteenth time this year since it was first held in 2008, emphasizes the humanitarian aspect.

This year's theme is a continuation of the previous year's BDF theme, namely 'Democracy for Humanity: Advancing Economic and Social Justice during the Pandemic.'

"The 14th BDF carries the theme of continuing the previous discussion, linking democratic development with COVID-19, emphasizing the humanitarian aspect, the extent of the impact of the pandemic on efforts to promote economic and social justice," said Teuku Faizasyah in a virtual statement Wednesday 1 December.

He further explained, as a forum to discuss democracy in the Asia Pacific region, BDF still has relevance at the age of fourteen, it can become one of the beacon of democracy in the region, so that countries come every year to share experiences.

"In this meeting, we hope that the Foreign Ministers can share their best experiences in overcoming three major issues, namely poverty, equality and inclusiveness under the wheels of the democratic system run by their government," explained Teuku Faizasyah.

Slightly different from the previous event, in this BDF, a number of foreign ministers have been assigned the task of discussing one of the three major themes.

"Later on, after that, the views of the expert panelists will be heard and then the panel discussion will be continued. Later, conclusions can be summarized on how these countries can get through this crisis period without neglecting democracy," he explained.

To note, this time the BDF has invited representatives of 50 countries and international organizations, 46 of which have confirmed their attendance.